All Marketers Are Liars – my recap
Mathieu | Monday, August 24th, 2009 | No Comments »
I read a lot of Seth Godin on the Internet, mostly at his blog, but I’ve never bought one of his books. For my birthday and Christmas I asked for two of them:
Godin wrote on his blog a while back that all the information in his books are also available for free on his blog, all you have to do is sift through the posts to find it. While that is true, it’s like saying all the ingredients to make mushroom risotto are available in the grocery store and all I have to do is buy them and prepare it. Going to a restaurant is quicker and easier so for the same reason, I asked for these two books.
I only received All Marketers are Liars and I haven’t picked up Meatball Sundae yet but I think a combination of watching Seth on the TED Web site, reading numerous reviews and keeping up with his blog, reading the book wouldn’t add much value to what I’ve already discovered. All Marketers Are Liars is an older book and wasn’t discussed on his site as much as his newer titles so giving it a read seemed like a good investment. In all I read it over two weekends and his style of writing is very conversational which I enjoy.
The main concept of the book is advertising is not marketing and in order to get people to listen to your message you must tell authentic stories. Seth argues people make up lies for themselves when buying a product or service. Like Starbucks will make you part of a social elite or buying a frozen meal you make in the crock pot is the same as preparing a home-made dinner yourself. Godin says marketers need to propose these lies to match their target market’s worldview. Basically you need to tell a compelling lie to the appropriate audience.
Of course Godin doesn’t suggest marketers should really tell lies, but rather stories. The title comes from a strategy of using an oxymoron to describe a product or service, something that will stand out by creating an absurd juxtaposition in their mind. The following, taken from user Robert Morris on an Amazon.com review that sums up what Godin is really getting at:
“Every consumer has a worldview that affects the product you want to sell. That worldview alters the way they interpret everything you say and do. Frame your story in terms of the worldview, and it will be heard.” (excerpted from page 60)
“People only notice stuff that’s new and different. And the moment they notice something new, they start making guesses about what to expect next.” (excerpted from page 68)
“Humans are able to make extremely sophisticated judgments in a fraction of a second. And once they’ve drawn that conclusion, they resist changing it.” (excerpted from page 76)
“Stories let us lie to ourselves. And those lies satisfy our desires. It’s the story, not the good or the service you actually sell, that pleases the customer.” (excerpted from page 84)
“The only stories that work, the only stories with impact, the only stories that spread are the `I can’t believe that!’ stories. These are the stories that aren’t just repeated: these are the stories that demand to be repeated.” (excerpted from page 132)
If there is one large takeaway from this book its to create your story and ensure it’s authentic. If you create a story about great customer service and then hire the cheapest labour and fail to train them, don’t be surprised if your business falters because consumers who came in for one purchase saw the hype didn’t match the experience and never came back.
There are two other books that accomplish what Godin attempted here in better fashion. The first is the 72 year old How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnige and the second, more recent, Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath. You’ll find just as great information and more examples that will help you put the how-to behind the theory.
All Marketers are Liars is a decent book, it’s a short read and you can’t help but get fired up by Godin who helps you believe what he is preaching because he himself is authentic.
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